Students Visit Alexander McQueen’s New Store in London

On Wednesday 6th March a number of students who study Art and Design Technology from Years 10 to 13 were given the opportunity to visit the newly opened Alexander McQueen flagship store situated on New Bond Street, London. They were greeted by Mr Mitchell’s daughter, Sara, who is employed as an assistant designer at McQueens.

Sara gave a talk firstly on her training within the world of fashion and then on her role as designer within the embroidery department. She gave a lot of valuable advice on the role of drawing and the importance of in-depth research within the design process. Drawings, photographs, patterns, textile swatches and original garments were all available for students to observe, photograph and draw. They were also allowed to handle garments at different stages of their production and then relate these to the finished pieces. This was a unique experience, as students got the opportunity to look behind the scenes of the fashion industry and appreciate the amount of work and effort which is the hallmark of working within this particular employment sector.

Bobby Pantling said of her visit, “Visiting Alexander McQueen taught me that if you want design to be part of your future then you’ve got to work hard, focus and believe you’ve got what it takes”